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Sunday, July 3, 2011

Run Across America...the Rematch!!!

Today, I am ecstatic to announce information about my second attempt to Run Across America! I thought July 4th was fitting to make the announcement as it is the most American of holidays!

I have had three months to give a lot of thought to the second run attempt. In truth, the foundation was laid less than 48 hours after my aborted first attempt. My amazing in laws, wife and I had sat around a dinner table at an Outback Steakhouse in Mississippi somewhere and agreed to give it another shot in 2012. We did not hesitate for a second!

Before the first run was shelved, the crew and I had an amazing experience! We covered 500 miles in 14 days, with several 50 mile days! We were pleased to help get donations to Freedom is Not Free totaling nearly $10,000! The coolest part was the dozens of great people we met and befriended during the process of planning and executing the run.

RAA#1 ended unceremoniously alongside the road in Uniontown, Alabama. I had some kind of stress fracture/tendon issue in my ankle/shin. Four doctors looked at it and were evenly split on the diagnosis. The prescription in both cases was the same. “No running for 4-6 weeks.” I am not exaggerating when I say ending the run was one of the top four most disappointing days in my life.

I have fully recovered and my desire to run across the country is undiminished. Undiminished? Bad word choice! My desire to make it across is stronger…because I know I can do it!

So…here is the deal!

On March 1st, 2012 I will set out again to run across the United States map. I had considered picking up where I left off in Alabama. However, this did not feel right. To be a true cross country run, I need to start with my foot in one pond and end with it in the other. So……..

My journey will begin in San Francisco, California on March 1st and end in Savannah, Georgia on Memorial Day. I will be running through Las Vegas (NV), Flagstaff (AZ), Albuquerque (NM), Lubbock (TX), Dallas (TX), Shreveport (LA), Jackson (MS), Meridian (MS), Montgomery (AL) and Columbus (GA). The final leg of the run will culminate with an exciting finish that I will describe a little later.

Again, my run will be a platform to raise awareness and funding for Veterans! I have chosen to partner with House of Heroes (HoH) to raise money for veterans. HoH, a Columbus, Georgia based 501c3, helps military veterans, public safety personnel and/or their spouses with light home construction work, repairs and maintenance. Since 1999, House of Heroes has helped over 420 veterans and their families through a network of nearly 3,000 volunteers. I became interested in House of Heroes as I ran through Columbus, Georgia on my first RAA attempt through Susan Gerkin and John Teeples. Each year, John, Susan and a number of others raise money for House of Heroes through the Annual Run Across Georgia for the Heroes Charity Run. Read all about House of Heroes here!

We are going to start by sponsoring a House of Heroes house repair/renovation project here in San Francisco.

We will be looking for candidates for this work here in the Bay Area. So if you know of veteran who has a home repair need and is unable to afford or physically make the repairs, I will be talking about how we get candidate information/selection criteria to the right people at HoH!

My run will end with the 2012 Annual Run Across Georgia for the Heroes run! I could think of no better way to end my run for the House of Heroes than by finishing it up on the Run Across Georgia effort! This will give me something to look forward to and hopefully help raise more money for the House of Heroes by taking the Run Across Georgia to a NATIONAL level!

How can you help? First, any help you can offer will not be refused! We can use volunteers in the various states to help us get the word out about my run. We would also welcome runners as we pass through various locales. Work or monetary donations to House of Heroes are always welcome. 100% of the donations will go directly to them.

Finally, I am appreciative of the volunteers who have already offered help! I just want to say thanks to people who have unselfishly offered to help me get this done. Over 30 people have stepped up to do research, manage communications and to help with planning and organization. I am humbled by this and will do better than my best to get the job done this time.

My family and friends have really made sure I owe them BIG over the two years as I have pushed to reach this goal. Simply. Thanks.